


Veiling

by potsexuals



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Also Din pulls some OOC stunts, Angst, F/M, Fluff, Im also prescribing myself to the idea that I can change things, Not a lot but I swear its for the ~Drama~, Reader-Insert, Slow Burn, because disney gets to change things, eventually, so dont @ me, this is my fic and if theres a dumpster fire it's because I set it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:20:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26365585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/potsexuals/pseuds/potsexuals
Summary: “Yena-” Mando tried to apologize, but Yena had already turned to face him, holding out the fixed Beskar plate in her hand.“Why don’t you find somewhere else to cause trouble.” The bite in her voice was vicious as she dropped the plate in the sand. Mando bent down and picked up the plate, looking at Yena. This was his fault, and he had to right this wrong.“Come with me” He said, “I can pay.”
Relationships: The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)/Original Female Character(s), The Mandalorian/Reader
Comments: 4
Kudos: 33





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Before we get started, I want to discuss the name I used and why I used it.
> 
> 1\. The use of "Yena" actually is an idea by Crystalline1206, It's a clever play on Y/N without breaking the immersion. If you haven't, you should totally check out her fic "The Rifle", it's a really good Mando/Reader fic!
> 
> 2\. I realized that this was teetering into Original Character territory, the literal name "Yena" just ~works~ here so you can choose to read it as an Insert or an Original Character!

Mando landed the Razor Crest on the small, underpopulated desert planet. Leaning back in his chair, Mando clutched his shoulder plate. His new Beskar sported a dent, the concave mark digging into his shoulder. What happened back on Arvala-7 happened quickly and Mando had not had time to process it. 

The large creature had been pursuing Him and the Child, of course he couldn’t outrun the damn thing. Mando had tripped, and as he was ready to be trampled over, the Child had inexplicably used some sort of force to lift the creature up. Maybe the situation would have been fine if he hadn’t dropped the damn thing on his arm, which caused the dent in his new Beskar. Dropping the creature also alerted its buddies to do the same, which caused Mando to have to sprint back to the Crest.

Mando had landed on the small planet to refuel, it was nearby Arvala-7 and the Crest did not have enough fuel to jump into Hyperspace. He would have to make do with what he could find on this planet, it looked like the nearby settlement was small, Hopefully they got enough visitors to warrant a fuel station. Maybe he could find someone to repair the small dent in his Beskar shoulder plate. Mando looked over to the Child in the bassinet, he was out cold. The events on Arvala-7 must have exhausted him into a deep sleep. Mando shut the bassinet cover, a slight twinge of worry at the thought of leaving the Child alone on the Crest. But the Child was out cold, it would be some time until he came to. Mando tucked the bassinet in some corner of the ship where it could not be seen from the windows, even though the windows were tinted, before getting off the ship and making his way to the small settlement. 

* * *

  
  


Mando never had good luck to begin with, but now that bad luck was beginning to get on his nerves. The planet was populated, but it was populated by a species of insectoids that did not speak Basic. They only spoke in various buzzing noises. Not wanting to waste more fuel, Mando tried to make do with what was here. If he could just get some fuel, he would be able to jump to another planet. 

His fruitless search for fuel eventually led him to the very familiar sight of a Metalsmith’s shop, the symbol on the signpost being a dead giveaway. If nothing, maybe he could get his Beskar fixed up. But, of course, the shop owner did not speak Basic and Mando did not speak whatever buzzing noises came from his snout. It didn’t help that the Metalsmith tried his best to avoid Mando, avoiding eye contact, turning his back to him, whatever would make it known Mando was not welcome here. 

“Beskar,” Mando stated, pounding his fist against his shoulder plate, “Fix”. Two simple words and a visual, maybe the insectoid could take a hint. The shop owner simply shook his head and headed to the back of his shop, Mando had assumed he was fed up and that the ‘conversation’ was over. As Mando moved to leave, the shop owner came back with a map. Laying it across the counter, the shop owner pointed at a building on the edge of town. He spewed something in his native tongue, and while Mando didn’t understand his words, he understood the gesture. Mando thanked the shop owner and headed towards the small building. 

The building didn’t look like much, as it sat against the backdrop of the vast desert. It didn’t look like a shop, it had no signs, yet the front door was wide open, ready to take visitors. Mando cautiously walked in, not knowing what the business did exactly. There was a small table, a couple chairs, and a counter with nobody behind it. 

“Hello?” Mando called out, hoping he wasn’t intruding on someone’s personal abode. He looked around for a little longer, he noticed behind the counter that there was a door, a back room. It seemed that the building was a makeshift shop from an old house, the main chamber being the size of a basic home main room, but too small for a lobby. The back room door must have been installed at a later time, since it did not match the other doors in the house. 

“The Metalsmith in town told me to come here” Mando called out once again. Was there anybody here? Maybe they had left briefly. 

“Hello there, Stranger,” Mando heard come from the back of the shop. From the back, a woman came out, a  _ Human _ woman. She was polishing a blaster in her hands as she walked to the counter, which made Mando instinctively reach for his own blaster.

The shop owner scoffed, “Relax, shiny” she said, raising the blaster in her hands, “It’s not even loaded.” She set the blaster down on a shelf behind the counter, leaning against the surface. She examined the Mandalorian in front of her, while she didn’t seem off-put, she certainly seemed surprised to see such a character in her shop. 

“What can I do for you?” she asked, looking at Mando up and down. 

“You live here?” Mando asked, wanting an answer to the implied ‘why’ in his question rather than the obvious.

“Yes, I do,” She replied, a bit sarcastically, “I know, I’m a human on a planet of Insectoids, don’t get your cuirass in a knot over it.”

“What exactly do you do here?” Mando asked, still unsure of what exactly this woman did. She was polishing a blaster, yet the Metalsmith seemed pretty adamant to send him this way.

“I fix things” The shop owner answered bluntly. There was a silence in the air as Mando waited for a further explanation.

“What… Kinds of things?” Mando asked, a bit annoyed. 

“Anything” the shop owner said, “Locals bring me something broken, I give it back fixed, make a fair amount of credits for my work,

“You said Inorta sent you?” 

“The Metalsmith? Yes,” Mando answered as he removed his shoulder plate, setting it down on the counter in front of the shop owner, “I was hoping he could patch this dent, but he sent me here instead.” The shop owner picked up the shoulder plate, examining the dent. 

“Probably why he sent you to me, he doesn’t want his neck rung out should he mess up your armor.” 

Mando tilted his helmet at her, confused by her comment. “We don’t get a lot of trouble around here, Shiny” the shop owner elaborated, “especially Mandalorians. I’m sure Inorta hasn’t seen Beskar in his entire life,” the Shopowner switched her gaze to Mando, “or a Mandalorian attached to it.”

Mando scoffed at her comment, “And you have?” The shop owner looked back at the Beskar in her hands. 

“I’ve seen more than you think” The vagueness in her retort only confused the Mandalorian more.

“So you can fix it?” Mando punched to the point, done with the bickering between them. The Shop owner nodded, “A small dent like this is no problem for me, just don’t come back with your chest plate split in half.” 

“What’s your price?” Mando asked coldly. The shop owner looked at Mando up and down a Third time. His new Beskar armor made him pretty intimidating, but that didn’t seem to bother the shop owner. She didn’t cower in the way the Metalsmith did, she didn’t move aside the way the locals did in the town square. She kept her feet planted and stood her ground, as she should in her own shop.

“500 Credits.”

Mando scoffed at her price, “500? You gonna make that plate indestructible too?” 

“Listen here, Shiny,” The Shop Owner began to retort, an air of mischevy in her voice, “I’m the only one in town who knows how to work with Beskar. I’m also the only one in town that Speaks Basic, and something tells me you’re gonna need help getting around here.” The shop owner raised a brow, as if to say ‘am I wrong?’. Mando had no response, he simply stayed quiet and stared her down through his helmet. His intimidation did little to quell her cockiness. 

“Tell you what, 500 Credits, I fix your plate and I tell you what you want, I’ll even polish the damn thing for you.” The shop owner waited for a response. Mando was stuck, she was right, and she knew how to play her cards. Mando sighed, throwing a bag of credits on the counter, “That’s half, you’ll get the other when it’s done.” the Shop owner shrugged taking the credits happily.    
  


“Where can I find fuel?” Mando asked. “At the fuel station” The shop owner answered, turning her back on him to begin fixing his shoulder plate. The Mandalorian let out a frustrated huff, “and where is that, exactly?” 

The shop owner looked over her shoulder, a mischievous smile danced across her face. She liked teasing him, she thought it was funny how she had this little power over a Mandalorian. She found the whole situation entertaining. Nevertheless, she reached for her map and pointed to the fuel station. 

Mando looked down at her, their closeness at the counter gave him an opportunity to examine her in the manner she examined him. She looked back up at him, staring into his Visor, unafraid of the confrontation. He observed her eyes, their depth, their dark color. The confidence, the cockiness, the way she challenged his intimidation, it showed in her voice and her body language. In many ways, it was her most endearing feature. 

“What’s your name?” Mando asked, breaking the silence between them. The shop owner cocked her head, biting the inside of her cheek. “That’s not really relevant, is it?” she snarked. 

“You said you’d tell me what I want,” Mando bit back, “I want to know your name.” The shop owner let out a defeated sigh, Mando did have her there.

“Yena”

* * *

  
  


Navigating to the fuel station was tougher than Mando thought, since all the buildings sported the same beige bricks and the same structure shapes. Mando accepted the tough navigation as an opportunity for Yena to perfectly fix his Beskar, he hoped she took care of the shoulder plate as much as he did. But the thought did little to extinguish the frustration he felt at the situation.

The locals didn’t understand him and he didn’t understand the locals, which made the transaction difficult. They filled his tank, but did not give clear instruction on the cost. Mando kept throwing credits after credits at them. Fed up and with most of his credits handed over, Mando accepted that they were probably taking advantage of the situation and planning on scamming him as much as he would allow. He marched off back to Yena’s shop, without another word to the people at the fueling station. 

On his way back, Mando noticed a commotion happening at the Metalsmiths shop, a small crowd had gathered. Mando moved closer to the crowd, that is until he noticed a couple of bounty hunters roughing up the Metalsmith. Mando quickly ducked into a nearby alley, watching from a distance as the situation unfolded. The bounty hunters pushed around the Metalsmith, who looked scared out of his mind. The Metalsmith cowered, practically begging for his own life to these hunters who did not know what he spoke. One of the hunters became fed up and picked up the Metalsmith by his neck, threatening to choke the life out of him if he didn’t cough up the information they wanted. Gasping for air and scared for his life, the Metalsmith pointed in a different direction with one hand while clawing at the hand around his neck with the other. The hunters looked at each other and nodded, releasing the Metalsmith from their grasp and moving that direction. Some of the insectoids in the crowd came to the aid of the Metalsmith, giving Mando a chance to slip by and follow the hunters. 

Just as he suspected, the hunters had been told to go to Yena’s shop. They must have been after him, and the Metalsmith coughed up the information to save his own neck. Mando watched as the hunters entered the shop, shutting the door behind them. Mando quickly moved to the side of the building, positioning himself beside a window looking into the main chamber of the building. Mando could see through the window as the Hunters interrogated Yena. 

“The Mandalorian, where is he?” One of the Hunters, a Twi'lek, asked, slamming his hands on the counter as he leaned into it. Yena was simply leaning against the wall across to him, she shrugged at his question. 

“Haven’t seen any Mandalorians around here” she said nonchalantly, she was covering Mandos ass. 

“Don’t Lie to us” the second Hunter, a Zabrak, demanded, “The Metalsmith said he came here, where are you hiding him?” 

“Look, I haven’t seen any Mandalorians here.” Yena lied, “Bounty Hunters don’t hang out here.” The bounty hunters became fed up, going behind the counter to the back of the shop to investigate. Yena didn’t do anything to stop them, knowing that she wasn’t hiding Mando in her store. The hunters rummaged through her stuff, throwing various unloaded blasters and other trash around as they searched for a sign of the Mandalorian. The Zabrak emerged from the back with the Beskar shoulder plate in hand. 

“Take a look at this” he said, throwing the plate at the Twi'lek. The two flanked Yena as the Twi'lek waved the plate in her face. “Where did you get this?” he demanded. 

“I found it in the sand, must’ve been left here a long time ago.” Yena didn’t seem scared by the two hunters as she stared down the Twi'lek in front of her, daring him to challenge her. 

The Twi’lek scoffed at her, “Beskar on this side of the Galaxy? You either got lucky or you know more than you’re letting on.” The Twi’lek continued to wave the Beskar plate in Yena’s face as she shrugged, refusing to continue the conversation.

“Fine, we have other ways of making you talk.” The Zabrak behind her quickly grabbed hold of her arms, forcing them behind her as he held her there, unable to move. The Twi’lek reached down to his trousers, undoing the belt holding them up. The implication was loud as the two hunters chuckled darkly, Mando had to get in there quick. 

While Mando assessed the situation and the best route in, Yena had wasted no time reacting. She forced her whole weight on the Zabrak behind her, jumping to kick the Twi'lek in the crotch with both of her feet. The Twilek cried in pain as he fell to the floor, grabbing his crotch. Landing on her feet, Yena bucked her head back, colliding in the head of the Zabrak. The Zabrak let go of her as he held his face in pain. In his distraction, Yena grabbed the Zabraks blaster from its holster, shooting the Twi’lek on the floor point-blank. This gave the Zabrak a Chance to run to the back. Mando quickly ran to the back of the building, hoping to catch him. However, when the back door opened, Yena was the one to run out. 

“Mando?” she asked in a loud whisper, “You didn’t tell me you had a bounty on your head!” 

“I didn’t think it was relevant.” Mando answered. The door behind Yena had slammed shut, the familiar  _ click _ of the lock following it. The Zabrak locked himself inside. Yena groaned out in annoyance. 

“Now what, Shiny?” 

Mando quietly moved back to the window, with Yena at his heel. He looked in to see the Zabrak on the floor, taking the blaster from the dead Twi'leks holster. He was distracted, maybe if Mando could aim just right, he could take him out. But, the window was small, getting an aim that precise wouldn’t be an easy task. Mando had to try anyways, moving slowly, he lined up the shot as best he could. Pulling the trigger, the shot rang out, missing the Zabraks head by a few inches. This startled the Zabrak, who became aware of their presence at the window, he began shooting at them. Mando pushed Yena down as he tried to take out the Zabrak. The window proved to be more of a danger since Mando couldn’t get a clear shot, He grabbed Yena’s wrist and ran to the front of the house. 

The two ducked behind a nearby building, watching the front door. Mando readied his blaster, the Zabrak couldn’t stay in that building forever, he waited for that front door to open so he could take the Zabrak out. The seconds passed like hours as they waited. Eventually, the front door did open, and another shootout began. Mando’s Beskar got hit a couple of times, nothing that the strong armor couldn’t deflect. Eventually, Mando got the shot correct and took out the Zabrak, who’s dead body slumped to the ground. In the haste of the shootout, the two did not notice that the shop was on fire. The shootout must have caused a fire inside the shop, Yena did work with blasters and other explosive materials. The Zabrak must have tried to run when he noticed the fire, it was raging hard by the time Mando had taken him out. 

Yena didn’t seem distraught or angry about it, she simply stood and watched the building burn down with Mando beside her. Mando swallowed hard, this shop was her life. It was her home, her business, and it was all His fault that it was up in flames. All this trouble for a fixed shoulder plate. 

“Yena-” Mando tried to apologize, but Yena had already turned to face him, holding out the fixed Beskar plate in her hands. 

“Why don’t you find somewhere else to cause trouble.” The bite in her voice was vicious as she dropped the plate in the sand. She turned back around to watch her shop burn down. Mando bent down and picked up the plate, looking at Yena. This was his fault, and he had to find a way to right this wrong.

“Come with me” He said, “I can pay.” Yena turned around at him again, a look of shock and confusion filled her face. 

“I have a kid back on my ship,” Mando elaborated, “He’s alone when I’m out doing jobs. I could use someone to watch him.” Yena raised a brow at him.

“Why don’t you just get a nanny droid?” Yena snarked. Was she really turning down an offer when her livelihood was burning to ash in front of her?

“I don’t like droids,” Mando said firmly, “Besides, it seems like you have more to offer than just nannying.” 

Yena turned back to the fire blazing in front of her, she showed no expression at his offer. Mando hoped she would say yes, not only because he felt obligated to repay her but because he COULD use the extra help. Watching the kid, fixing up the ship, it would save a lot of time and credits. 

“How much are you paying?” she finally asked. 

“15%”

“50” she retorted, turning to Mando with her arms crossed over her chest. He let out a short, amused laugh. “50?” He asked unbelievably. 

“I can fix up your ship, mod your blasters, repair your armor.” Her voice trailed off a little, “and I can be an extra pair of hands, If you need help getting your bounty.” Mando stopped to think about the offer, tilting his helmet at Yena. 

“Have you seen a battle, little one?” Mando asked, almost teasing her as he thought of her helping him take out a bounty.

“Were we not just in one?” Damn, she was right. She did hold her own without Mando there, he simply came by in the last stretch and helped. 

“25” He replied. 

“30”

“Deal” Mando finally gave in, sealing the deal with a handshake. Even when Yena had nothing, she was able to negotiate well. She had that Mandalorian wrapped around her finger.    
  


“You got everything you need?” Mando asked. Yena looked back at the burning shop. 

“I don’t know, you tell me.” She replied sarcastically, pushing past him as the fire burned behind her. 


	2. Chapter 2

Yena looked back and forth between Mando and the Child sleeping in the bassinet. Mando stood by, waiting for Yena to say something. She had been silent on the return to the Razor Crest, it didn’t seem like she wanted to say goodbye to any of the villagers. She was determined to leave this hot desert planet. 

He could see the expressions on her face, her attempts to put two-and-two together. But the pieces just didn’t fit. 

“You green under there, Mando?” Yena asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Mando scoffed at her quip, cocking his head at her in a manner that said ‘ _ Very funny _ ’. Yena shrugged as she turned back to the Child in the bassinet, “I assumed you were human under there.”

“The Kids not mine,” Mando stated, “Not my blood at least.” He looked down at the Child in the bassinet, as he started to wonder why he decided to hire Yena as a nanny. She hadn’t exactly shown a very motherly side in his short time knowing her. What did he know about her? She could defend herself, fix random objects. Be an annoying nuisance. Hiring her was a mixture of guilt and impulsiveness, at the very least he knew that if she tried to attack him, he’d be able to take her out.

“Just keep the Kid out of the cockpit,” Mando stated, gesturing his head towards the cockpit doors, “I don’t need him messing with the controls while I’m flying.”

“While you’re at it, you can start cleaning my blasters.” Mando turned his heels and marched to the cockpit, leaving Yena alone in the main chamber with the Child fast asleep. Mando felt a pit in his stomach, knowing that leaving Yena in the ship alone with the Child AND his blasters was a bad idea. The logical side of Mando quickly took over, what would she have to gain from killing him and the Child? Word hadn’t traveled around fast enough for her to know that they were wanted by the Empire, she hadn’t even been aware that bounty hunters were after him. 

Mando sat down in the pilot's chair, and started to process what happened. They’d have to find somewhere to stay long term, lay low long enough for them to disappear from the grid. Mando pulled up his map, searching for a place far enough away from Nevarro that it wouldn’t be worth it to chase after them. Mando finally settled on a small planet on the edge of the galaxy.

Sorgan.

Setting the coordinates, Mando buckled up and took off from the desert planet, punching the ship into Hyperdrive when they had left the atmosphere. A loud  _ Thud _ rang from the main chamber of the ship, followed by a long string of expletives. 

Oh, Probably should’ve told Yena to buckle up too.

* * *

Mando stared out the window of the crest, watching the stars fly by. Meditation was important to Mandalorians, it was an opportunity to reflect on your actions. To look back on the past and do better in the future. Today, Mando had thought back to his youth, when he was training in the Youth Corps with the Mandalorians that saved him. As much as he was appreciative of them saving him, Mando couldn’t imagine that life for the Child. He was different, from his race's slow aging, to the weird powers he had, Mando knew he would not thrive being raised Mandalorian as he had. He would experience a lot of pain as he outlived his foundling families, if Mando could even find a family to raise him once he was gone. He also didn’t know what his weird powers were, if they would get stronger or go away. 

Mando’s thoughts were soon interrupted when the cockpit door opened. Mando turned around to see who had walked in, which was a stupid thought since there was only one other person on the ship. Mando’s Amban pulse blaster was shoved in his face when he swiveled in his chair.

“Can you remove the barrel from this, please?” Yena asked, a bit of frustration in her voice. Mando took the blaster and removed the barrel, giving the blaster back in two pieces. 

“I thought Blasters were your specialty.” Mando teased as he put the two pieces of the rifle back in Yena’s hands. She smiled sarcastically at Mando.

“There’s a first for everything, Shiny,” she quipped, “but I’ll make sure to break your blasters before I bug you again.” Yena sat down in the copilots chair, pulling out a rag and beginning to clean the barrel part of the blaster. She was hunched over in the chair, focusing solely on the blaster in her hands.

Mando wasn’t used to having guests. He didn’t know if it bothered him that Yena was here, she didn’t seem to want to chit chat. She very diligently cleaned the blaster, getting in every small corner and hard-to-reach area. Mando tried to ignore her and focus on his thoughts, but he just couldn’t when she was right there. He didn’t want to ask her to leave either, since he would need to assemble the rifle again. Mando also felt her presence was calming to him, in a way that was different from meditating by himself. 

It was Mando that broke the silence.

“How did you get there?”

Yena looked up at Mando, taken off guard that the Mandalorian was actually having small talk with her. 

“Sippu?”

Was that what that planet was called?

“I hitched a ride from Tatooine.” Yena answered bluntly as she looked back down at the blaster, going back to cleaning the barrel. 

Well, that answers nothing. “How did you get to Tatooine?” Mando asked, turning his head slightly at Yena, who looked back up at him and smirked. 

“Hitched a ride from Naboo.” She said through her smirk. Mando dropped the subject since Yena only wanted to give him the runaround. 

“You seem to like to jump around alot,” Mando said, “What made you stay there?” Yena shrugged as she moved to the second piece of the rifle to clean.

“The locals needed someone to fix things, they’re so far away from more populated planets that fixing up their blasters or their cauterizers wasn’t worth going off-planet for. I got paid well for not doing much at all.

“Plus it was quiet, it was nice to be away from the chaos for a moment.” Mando had been looking out the window but felt a pair of eyes on him, he cocked his head to Yena, who had indeed been staring. 

“I can’t go anywhere without attracting trouble, though.” Yena whispered, trying to play off the fact that she was staring at Mando. He could still see the blush rise on her face, but her confidence was unbroken as she diligently cleaned the blaster again, acting like nothing had happened. 

There was another minute of silence as Mando and Yena sat awkwardly in the cockpit together. Maybe just awkward on Mando’s part, Yena didn’t seem bothered by the silence. Mando couldn't tell if Yena felt the tension on her end, or if she was just being polite and ignoring the whole situation. 

Actually, Mando couldn’t tell anything about Yena, whether she was telling the truth to his questions. That was part of his job, get a read on people and decipher if they’re lying. It saved him a lot of time getting the information on his bounties, he had become good at it over the years. But Yena? The Child could probably guess better than him. 

Mando was pulled out of his thoughts when the ship's system began beeping at him. The red blinking lights on his dashboard notified him of an incoming asteroid belt, nothing major, but probably best not to go into this one on autopilot. Mando turned off the autopilot, grabbing the steers and buckling up again. 

“You should buckle up, it’s gonna get a little bumpy.” Mando warned, the thought of Yena falling when he punched into hyperdrive ran through his mind, he had to be conscious not to laugh then. Yena set the blaster pieces under the dashboard and buckled up, 

“Where are we going anyways?” Yena asked as she clicked in her belt. 

“Sorgan” Mando answered as he began to steer between the asteroids. 

“Sorgan?” Yena asked confused, “that’s on the other side of the galaxy.” 

“We have to lay low for a little bit, I got bounty hunters on my tail. If we can stay quiet for a few months we might be able to shake them.” The frustration in Mando’s voice rose as he dodged the asteroids, he wasn’t used to talking and flying. In his haste, Mando had failed to see an asteroid coming in on their right, causing the whole ship to shake as it collided into the side of the ship. Yena gripped to the chair as the ship lurched to the side, at least Mando had told her to buckle up this time. 

“Why- Why do you even HAVE Bounty Hunters after you?” Yena screamed as Mando tried to get control back over the ship, her knuckles turning white from gripping onto the chair. He had no answer for her, only a frustrated growl as he navigated through the asteroid belt. The ship jerked back and forth as Mando tried his best to be in control and dodge the rocks, which was a task made no easier by Yena’s insistent prying. ‘ _ She’s really bad at reading a room _ ’ He thought. The sparse rocks became more frequent and dangerous as Mando steered deeper into the asteroid belt, he would need to find a route out. 

“Yena-” Mando grunted out as he tried to focus on what to say, “Make yourself useful- get on the nav computer and find a clear way out.” The ship was being pelted by smaller rocks as the trip became more dangerous, foreshadowing what was yet to come if they couldn’t escape. Yena quickly began pushing buttons on the dashboard, desperately trying to pull up a map on the unfamiliar system. Yena pulled up the map after several wrong button pushes, she attempted to focus her attention on the map as the ship shook with every hit. 

“016, 095, 023” Yena said clearly, there was no sign of terror in her voice as the ship took on more hits, “It’s not the clearest but its the best shot we have.” Mando quickly sprung into action, pulling the ship up as he followed the galactic coordinates. Several larger rocks stood in their way, but Mando expertly navigated around them. The further they went, the less rocks there were, getting smaller and smaller until the Razor Crest escaped from the asteroid belt. 

Mando and Yena sat in their chairs, still gripping onto the steers and the chair respectively, panting as they came down from the adrenaline high. The unexpected trip through the asteroid belt made one thing clear to Mando, Yena was a good co-pilot. She kept her cool through the trip, she was clear and calculated with her actions. Even if she was annoying. 

A loud cry came from the main chamber of the ship, the Child was finally awake. 

‘ _ At least that trip did something _ ’ Mando thought. 

“I guess that's my cue” Yena sighed, unbuckling herself and walking to the door. Mando sat there, saying nothing as she left the cockpit silently. Out of the corner of his eye, Mando saw the Amban blaster, Yena forgot it under the dashboard. He picked it up, examining the pieces as he put the blaster back together.

She did a pretty good job cleaning it. 

* * *

Several hours later, the cockpit doors opened again. Mando had been passing the hours by staring out the window, his thoughts finally broken when the doors opened up again. A bowl of hot slop was sat on the dashboard in front of him.

“Soups on, shiny,” Yena teased, flicking the side of his helmet. Mando would’ve been pissed about her touching his helmet, if she didn’t help save their lives back in the asteroid belt. He let it slide this time.

Yena plopped herself down in the copilots chair, letting out a satisfied sigh as she began digging into the slop. Mando looked at the bowl in front of him, company was one thing, company when eating was another. Did Yena know that he couldn’t just take off his helmet? Mando looked away, whether or not the slop was hot or cold, it wouldn’t be appetizing either way.

“How’s the kid?” He asked, looking at Yena as she stuffed her face. Yena pointed her thumb behind her. 

“Why don’t you ask him yourself?” She said with a full mouth. Mando looked back, where he was met with a set of large ears, and a pair of large dark eyes to match them. The Child sat quietly in his bassinet, smiling up at Mando. He held out his little arms to Mando, his little grabby hands telling Mando what he wanted. Carefully, Mando picked up the Child from the bassinet, examining him as he adjusted the Child onto his lap.

“Is he hurt?” Mando asked, still examining the child on his lap.

“Not that I could tell,” Yena responded, wiping some slop from her lips, “Happiest little baby i’ve ever seen.” The Child cooed in Mando’s lap as he reached for the control knob, which Mando unscrewed, dropping it in the small set of hands. 

“I can take him if you want,” Yena said, setting her bowl on the dashboard, “you gotta eat too.” Yena reached out to pick up the Child, but Mando pulled it closer to him. He moved slightly away from Yena’s reach, maybe more aggressively than he intended too. Yena simply held up her hands in surrender. 

“You really can’t take that thing off to eat?” Yena asked, picking up her bowl to finish her food. 

“I can when you two are gone.” Mando responded coldly, some part of him was sick of having to explain this to every stranger he met. Yena only shrugged in response, again unbothered and she finished off her food. 

“I should probably go over sleeping arrangements,” Mando stated, this was one of the many thoughts on his mind since they left the asteroid belt, “You can sleep in my bed.”

Yena almost spit out her food when he said the last part. “No-” Yena choked out as she coughed on some food lodged in her windpipe, “I can sleep on the floor it’s fine.” 

“I’m not sleeping  _ with _ you.” Mando said, annoyed that he even needed to state that.

“That’s not- I didn’t think that,” Yena said defensively, shooting a glare his way “It’s your bed, I can sleep on the floor.” Mando rolled his eyes, letting out a frustrated grunt with it.

“I burnt down your house,” Mando said, matter-of-factly, “The least I can do is offer you a bed to sleep in.” This seemed to shut Yena up, that definitely wasn’t something she was going to argue with. 

“Where will you sleep?” She asked meekly.

“I sleep in here most of the time,” Mando lied. Sure, he did on occasion, but for trips like this that would take several days, it wasn’t really necessary. But Mando didn’t mind doing it if he had a guest, especially a guest that was homeless thanks to him. 

“Besides, you can fix up the ship when we land as a ‘Thank You’.” Mando said. Yena’s eyes widened as she frantically looked around the cockpit.

“Did something break? Are we gonna be able to fly okay?” She asked, talking fast as she continued to examine the dashboard. 

“No-” Mando blurted out, trying to calm her down. Yena’s frantic glancing turned into a confused stare, directly at Mando. “The ships got some dents in it, thanks to those asteroids.” Mando said. Yena let out an amused scoff. 

“Do I look like a cosmetic specialist to you?” She asked sarcastically.

“You said you could fix up the ship.” Mando said defensively. Yena rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back.

“Yea, I can  _ FIX  _ up the ship,” Yena said, banging her fist against the wall, “Your ship’s not broken, Shiny, it’s just a hunk of junk. It’ll survive with some dents.” Mando huffed in frustration, looking back out the window. 

“Why did I even hire you?” He asked, more to himself than to Yena. She shrugged in response.

“Burnt down my house, remember?” Yena teased. Mando  _ was _ 2 for 2 when it came to picking up creatures whose lives he’s destroyed unfairly. Yena let out a grunt as she picked up her empty bowl off the dashboard.

“I guess I’ll try to get this one to sleep then.” She said, gesturing towards the Child. His ears drooped in sadness as he sucked on the control knob, he was enjoying the time with his father and didn’t want it to end so soon.

“C’mon, floppy,” Yena cooed, holding her hands out to him, “Let’s let Shiny get some dinner, too.” Mando handed over the child to her, taking the control knob from his little hands as he did. Yena held the Child against her chest as she moved to the cockpit door. 

“Hey-” Mando blurted out, turning around to face her. Yena stopped in her tracks, turning to him with a surprised look on her face. Suddenly, Mando got a knot stuck in his throat. His mind became cleared as he looked at her,  _ really _ looked at her. Maybe it had been a while since he saw someone that caught his eye, but just looking at her made his brain do a complete 180. What he wanted to say got lost in his throat as his mind became fogged by a single thought. 

‘ _ She’s beautiful _ .’

“The blaster-” He forced out, his thoughts coming back to him somewhat, “You did good.” Yena smiled softly and nodded.

“Thank you” she whispered as she left with the Child in her arms.

* * *

Mando couldn’t sleep that night, he simply wasn’t tired. He had eaten his dinner shortly after Yena and the Child left, and the food sat in his stomach like a rock. He had been sitting in the cockpit for a couple of hours with his thoughts enjoying the air without his helmet on, but eventually his ‘thoughts’ became a single thought. Yena. He shook his head, as if to rid of her image that way. 

Mando leaned back in his chair, running his hands through his hair as he let out an exhausted sigh. He hadn’t thought about anyone in  _ that  _ way, not in a long time at least. Sure, he went to the brothel every now and again, he’s still a man and he still had needs. But he would hardly have these thoughts about the prostitutes. Mando couldn’t pin it down, exactly what he thought was attractive. The thought had been intrusive, coming out of nowhere as Yena left the cockpit. 

Mando looked down at his beskar plates. They were still dirty from the sand back on Sippu, and dulled as well. If he couldn’t sleep, he might as well polish his Beskar. Keep it looking new as long as he could. Mando donned his helmet again, leaving the cockpit to grab his polishing supplies. 

The ship was dark, all the lights had been turned off, Yena and the Child had long since gone to bed. Unfortunately, Mando kept his polishing supplies in the Captain's quarters, he would have to be quiet. Mando slowly descended the ladder that led to the room below deck, mindful of every metal-on-metal step. He tiptoed towards the Captains quarters, stopping for a moment outside the door. He listened for a sound, just in case they weren’t asleep. After he was sure, he opened the doors.

The light from the hallway shone on Yena and the Child in the bed, and what a sight it was. Yena slept on her stomach, her hand on the Child’s chest as he slept soundly on the pillow beside her, the two tucked peacefully under the blanket. There was something… serene about the two sleeping, and Mando couldn’t help but gaze at them. Something about the light hum of the ship, the dim slowly flashing lights of the hall, the soft sleeping sounds coming from Yena and the Child, it all put an ease in Mando. It wasn’t until that moment that it all hit him, what he had been missing all this time. Companionship, even if he didn’t want to admit it, was the most valuable service Yena could offer him.

_ Protect your Family. _

Echoed in the back of his mind, a promise he had taken with the Mandalorian Oath all those years ago.

“I will,” He whispered, “I’ll protect them with my life.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Proofreading? I don't know her


	3. Chapter 3

It took several days before Yena’s brain decided to come back to her body. She knew this because she wouldn’t have taken this job if her brain had been there in the first place. But something about her home burning down in front of her made everything stop, she had started to run on autopilot the second she saw the flames. 

She wasn’t lying when she said she wanted away from the chaos, she had gotten herself stuck in too much trouble in her time. Sippu may have been a desert hellscape, but at least it was void of any action. Yena knew she could have built a new house, blackmail the Mandalorian into giving her just enough credits to rebuild. At the very least just ask for a ride somewhere else, if she wanted to listen to her conscience. 

But she certainly wouldn’t have taken a job from a Mandalorian, not if her common sense had been working at least. While 30% was nothing to sneeze at, she still didn’t like Mandalorians, a bunch of bucket headed mercenaries with a hard on for ‘The Creed’. Beacons of trouble, more like. Especially when one walks into your store head-to-toe in Beskar. What kind of clientele did Mando have to have to score that kind of payment?

Yet, here she was. Staying on the flying junkyard and taking care of the little green…. Thing. Honestly, the Child had begun to grow on her. By the time she had realized what an incredibly dumb decision taking the job was, she was already smitten with the damn thing. Who knew a green monster child could have so much charisma?

Yena wasn’t exactly the  _ maternal  _ type, but that didn’t seem to bother the Child or Mando. As long as the Child was fed and happy, being a good parental figure didn’t really matter. Which was fine with Yena, since expletives were an important part of her vocabulary. Yena had a general habit of staying as far away from children as possible, but maybe that’s because the children on Sippu had terrifying bug faces. So she wasn’t exactly trained very well in the art of child-rearing.

As much as Mando sold her on the idea of being a nanny  _ and _ a for-hire mechanic, she was really just a nanny. To both the Child and Mando. She cleaned the whole ship (which was filthy) and made them both dinner, how Mando survived up to this point was anyone's guess. Yena tried her best to stay out of Mando’s way, let him focus on piloting. Apparently, that sentiment wasn’t shared, because he would leave the cockpit to ‘check’ on the two of them. If ‘checking’ meant standing in the corner of the room and saying nothing. It felt a little bit voyeuristic, but Yena got used to it. He probably just wanted to make sure she had no ill intent. Or maybe he was taking pointers on how to entertain a child. 

That was how the trip from Sippu to Sorgan went. Except for the asteroid belt, there was little action, which was a relief. Yena didn’t have the courage to ask Mando again exactly why he had a bounty on his head. If he wanted her to know, he would’ve said something by now, although it would be nice to know exactly how much shit she was getting herself into. It could be for a myriad of reasons. Maybe he brought in the wrong bounty. Maybe he killed someone he wasn’t supposed to. Maybe he pissed off someone with a lot of power. Yena shook the thoughts from her head when they came by, for Maker’s sake she was just trying to  _ survive _ . Ignorance is bliss, if she could get away from him fast enough, whoever is after him may not come after her either.

Of course, Mando wasn’t courteous enough to let Yena know that they were landing on Sorgan when they arrived. She had to find out when she felt the ship coming into the atmosphere. She let out a sigh of relief, she was beginning to go stir crazy on the ship. 

“You ready to get some exercise?” she asked the Child playing on the floor next to her. He let out an excited cry as she picked him up and got him settled on her lap. She was not making the same mistake of standing when the ship was shaking that much. Luckily, landing was a lot smoother than taking off. Yena still waited until the ship was completely still before standing up. She counted her credits as she waited for Mando to come get her. Again, the man had no courtesy and Yena didn’t even know he had moved from the cockpit until she heard the hissing of the hatch. She grabbed the Child quickly and shuffled to the door.

She scrambled to Mando’s side, waiting for the hatch to open all the way. The fresh air that rushed in felt good, filling her lungs, a stark difference from the stagnant air in the ship. Once the hatch hit the ground, Mando began to walk off the ship, with Yena close at his heel. Mando spun around and pushed against Yena’s chest, moving her backwards a little. 

“You two stay here.” He demanded, pointing his finger back at the ship. Yena let out a frustrated sigh and rolled her eyes. 

“Look, I need to find a market! I don’t have any other clothes, or toiletries, I don’t even have a blaster-” Mando pulled a blaster from one of his holsters and handed it to Yena, who only looked at him in disbelief. 

“Stay.” He demanded once more, “I’ll come back before nightfall to let you know if it’s safe.” He pushed the blaster in Yena’s hand, turning around before she had a chance to argue. Yena stood on the hatch dumbfounded, she wanted to say something smart, but she was way too offended that Mando would insinuate that she couldn’t handle a barely inhabited planet like Sorgan. She looked down at the blaster in one hand and the Child in the other. 

‘ _ I’m not some nanny droid _ ’ she thought to herself. 

“You know, I’m just gonna follow you when you’re out of sight!” She yelled at him. She was bluffing, of course. As much as she liked to think of herself as a self-sufficient badass, it’s pretty hard to shoot straight when you’re holding a kid in the other hand. But Yena was still a fighter, even if she had to fight for her right to leave this damn ship for a few hours. 

Mando stopped in his tracks, turning his head slightly as if he wanted to say something to her. This made Yena reconsider trying to fight with a damn Mandalorian. Probably not the best idea she’s ever had, but it was already done and she was going to have to feel his wrath if it came to that. Mando balled his fist before letting out a defeated sigh. 

“Keep up, don’t make me drag you” He said as he began to march off. Yena took a moment to bask in her little victory before running to catch up.

  
  


The walk sucked, but it was all worth it when they finally saw a Cantina in the distance. Mando insisted on stopping and getting the Child some food, probably find some work while they’re at it. The Cantina wasn’t packed, luckily, but that didn’t stop it’s patrons from turning their attention to the three of them when they walked in. Feeling unnerved, Yena held the Child closer to her chest. Mando simply kept walking, he must have been used to this type of ‘attention’. The three of them sat down at a table in the corner, Mando almost pushing Yena into the chair facing the wall, probably so he could be facing the busy room. 

Yena sat nervously as she bounced the Child on her knee. She wasn’t used to being seen in the manner she was now, she was really good at blending in. But travelling with Mando changed that, how many normal people would be seeing a Mandalorian in their lives? How many people would sit and wonder if that Mandalorian was after  _ them _ . 

“Stay calm.” Mando said, leaning back in his chair, “I won’t let anything happen to us.” Yena nodded slightly as she looked down at the table. 

“Also, take it easy on the Kid” Mando gestured to the bouncing Child on her knee, “You’re gonna launch him into the roof.” Yena looked down at her lap, she  _ was _ bouncing her leg pretty aggressively, from her anxiety no doubt. She stopped, and the Child did look pretty shaken up by the experience. 

“Welcome Travellers!” Yena nearly jumped out of her skin before realizing it was only the waitress, “Can I interest you in anything?”

“Bone broth, for the little one,” Mando stated, turning his attention to Yena, “You want anything?”

“Just water.” She choked out with a smile. It was embarrassing for Yena to be seen like this, completely paranoid in a cantina on some half-deserted planet. Especially since Mando had watched her take down two bounty hunters just days before. But instinctually, she became on-edge when she was noticed, as if someone or something was going to recognize her and attack. This paranoia sat on top of her responsibility for the Child’s protection as well. 

Yena snapped out of her trance when she noticed that Mando’s roaming gaze became fixated. This did nothing to settle her paranoia. She had to fight back the instinct to crane her neck and see what he was looking at. 

“Is everything alri-”

“Stay here” Mando cut her off as he stood up. Yena kept her eyes fixed on Mando as he left the cantina. What happened?

She was  _ worried _ now. 

Yena turned back and tried her best to blend in. Don’t freak out, don’t follow him, blend into the wall.

_ Just breathe.  _

The waitress came by with the water and the bone broth. The Child snapped up the bowl greedily as he began slurping the warm soup down. Maybe Yena would have taken a moment to teach him about manners, if she wasn’t trying to keep herself from going out to help Mando. She sipped down her water, which offered some sort of refreshment she needed. Yena stared intently at the wall, trying to focus on something minute to distract her from her thoughts. She focused on the cracks in the wall, counting them from bottom to top.

_ 24… 25… 26… _

**SLAM**

The light shining through the cracks went black. From the opposite side of the wall, something was slammed against it. Yena jumped a little, taken off guard. The Cantina was loud, and Yena and the Child were backed into the corner of it, nobody else had noticed. Even with the noise, Yena could hear the commotion happening opposite of the wall. A fight, sounds of someone struggling against another. 

Yea, that had to be Mando.    
  


Yena’s control was quickly thrown aside as she walked out of the Cantina, clutching the Child tightly in one arm and palming the blaster on her thigh with the other. Did she have a plan? No, she moved without cause or reason, not knowing what she could possibly do to help. That didn’t stop her from going behind the Cantina. Slowly, every step deliberate as she tried to sneak up on whoever or whatever was attacking Mando. She could hear the struggle, louder and louder with every step, until the Mando and the perpetrator finally came into view. Their fistfight had turned into a spar on the ground, Mando being held down by some buff woman, Yena had caught a glance of her in the Cantina. Yena pulled her blaster, pointing it square at the woman's head. The spar quickly ended as Mando and the woman turned their heads toward Yena. There was a beat of silence as none of the three knew what to do next.

The silence was cut when the Child decided to take a big slurp of his soup. All attention turned to the Child, completely unfazed by the whole ordeal. 

Mando turned to the mysterious woman, “You want some soup?”

* * *

  
  


“Saw most of my action mopping up after Endor,” The woman, who said her name was Cara Dune, explained, “Mostly ex-Imperial warlords. They wanted it fast and quiet.” 

So much action for one day, maybe Yena should have stayed back on the ship. The Cantina seemed none the wiser about the fight that just happened out back, the bustling and noise just as loud as it was before. Yena was barely listening to Cara, she seemed to be speaking more towards Mando anyways. Yena was more focused on feeding the Child, making sure he didn’t spill all over himself, anything else happening was just background noise. 

“I’ve never met a Bounty Hunter that hauls his wife everywhere.” Cara scoffed, her comment making Yena choke on her own spit. 

“She’s not my wife.” Mando corrected, matter-of-factly. Maybe Yena would have responded with some quip about having actual standards, if she wasn’t gasping for air. Cara looked back and forth between Yena and Mando, almost like she didn’t believe that statement. 

‘ _ We don’t get along  _ that _ well _ .’ Yena thought. Cara only shrugged and dropped the subject. 

“Well, this has been a real treat,” She said, chugging down the rest of her soup, “But unless you wanna go another round, one of us is gonna have to move on. And I was here first.” 

Cara slammed the cup on the table before walking away, leaving only a decision to be made. 

“We can’t stay.” Mando said, “Let’s go.” Yena groaned like a child as she gathered the actual Child up to leave.

“So much for getting to the market” Yena grumbled. 

* * *

  
  


Night had fallen by the time the three got back to the ship. Mando had tasked Yena to do a check-up on the ship, to make sure there was no major damage from the trip through the asteroid belt. Yena worked under the ship as Mando stood watch, making sure nothing snuck up on them in the darkness. 

“There something I can help you with?” Mando said out of nowhere. Yena had been too focused on the check up, she barely noticed Mando had spoken at all.

“Wha-?”

“Uh.. Yea. Raiders.” An unknown voice responded. 

“We have money!” A second voice interjected. 

Yena had closed up the doors under the ship, shimmying out from under the giant flying dumpster to see what was going on. 

“So you think I’m some kind of Mercenary?” Mando scoffed. Yena was barely able to make out two men in the darkness, with a droid cart behind them. Mando had paid no attention to them, at least not looking in their direction. Mando offered his hand to Yena to help her up, which she accepted. 

“You are a Mandalorian, right?”

“Or at least wearing Mandalorian Armor!”

Yena tried to look over Mando’s shoulder to see the two rambling men, but Mando switched his grip to her bicep.

“Don’t give them attention.” Mando demanded, “Get on the ship.” He didn’t really give Yena an option as he guided her back to the ship's hatch. The two men followed them as they rambled on about their village, about raiders, about needing help. Mando gave them no attention as he waited for the hatch to drop. 

Dejected, the two men finally gave up their rambling.

“Took us a whole day to get here, Now we have to ride back with no protection to the middle of nowhere.” One of them complained.

This seemed to interest Mando.

“Where do you live?” He asked. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not the proudest of this chapter, but I swear better things are on the way!


End file.
